


Kindness

by writelikeitsgoingoutofstyle (twoandahalfslytherins)



Series: unwitting [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: F/M, Female Rapist, Maria Reynolds is a sweet heart even when strange men burst into tears on her couch, the rape isn't really mentioned in this one but the depression is because of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 20:14:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6624619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoandahalfslytherins/pseuds/writelikeitsgoingoutofstyle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wasn't originally going to write a sequel to Tired, but every time someone makes a comment further marginalizing already marginalized groups of survivors- I'mma write a fic.</p><p>-<br/>Maria Lewis went to the bar expecting to be picked up, not to comfort drunk, crying men. But she's always been adaptable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kindness

“Would you like to go back to my place?”

The woman, Maria, giggles and Alex blinks, confused. Sure they’ve been talking for nearly two hours at this run down bar, but he’s too old for her. He’d bought her drinks because she mentioned being freshly out of college, and he hadn’t wanted their conversation to end.

Selfish. Greedy. Enjoying the chance to talk to a pretty woman about politics. Though mutually expressing their disgust at the Republican party was more accurate of a term. From there Maria had told him about the flower shop she’s working in. How it obviously isn’t what she studied for, but she’s happy enough. Hopeful even.

Hope is a tantalizing concept. Especially because she isn’t bright eyed. She doesn’t strike him as naive. She’s hopeful because she’s worked for it, she’s hopeful because she’s escaped from something.

Whether it was just poverty or something else, Alex isn’t sure. Just knows he’d pay anything to live vicariously through her for another minute. So he pays the tab and lets her lead him out the door. Offers to pay for the taxi when she makes the call. She smiles up at him, grateful. Winking when she says she’ll pay him back.

It makes him queasy. She’s so young and… it’d be an insult to call her innocent, so he doesn’t. But she’s young, a few more years and he could have been her father. But he can’t bring himself to stop this charade, to tell her no, they need to go their separate ways.

Maybe he’ll go to her apartment and pretend he can’t get it up. It isn’t unheard of in men his age and he might not even have to pretend. Lately, he’s had a harder and harder time performing period. It’s probably gross of him to go under pretenses.

He should back out. Tell her his intentions. Maybe claim he’s gay. Alex has enough pictures of Herc and Lafayette to back it up. He might even still have a few pictures from their college days when Lafayette dragged him to Pride parades. 

Instead, he gets in the cab. Lets her hold his hand. And he hates himself for not hating it. For enjoying the gentle contact. 

Maria’s apartment is cheap. She’s probably still living in the same neighborhood she did as a student, but it is a single. There’s no roommate to worry about. She apologizes for the layout when she unlocks the door, but it’s quaint. The living room and kitchen smooshed together, the bedroom, she references with her hand, is behind a curtain. The bathroom is also that way if Alex needs to use it.

“I’ve got some cheap wine in the fridge if you’d like?” Maria asks, still smiling brightly up at him.

Wine sounds good. He nods, and she tells him he can relax on the couch while she pours it. Rambles about how she finally got real glasses this year, so they won’t have to use red solo cups. Alex laughs politely at her joking tone, eyes wandering over her decor. 

There’s a lot of red. He hasn’t asked her what she actually studied, but he wouldn’t be surprised to hear that she was an art student. That or she has a friend who is, judging off of the paintings on the wall and the weird assortment of art projects that line the bookshelf. A little wire man, a clay pot- there are tissue paper flowers roped together to highlight her window.

Nice little touches for a nice young woman. Who deserves so much better than a creepy middle-age man sitting on her couch. Preying on her for a spare bit of kindness. Alex’s stomach churns, and when she appears in his line of sight with the wine glass, he accepts it gratefully. Tips it up and drinks it down in one gulp.

A bad idea. She stares at him and suddenly he jerks up, stumbling through her bedroom, ignoring the mattress on the floor and instead yanking open the bathroom door so that he can empty the contents of his stomach in the toilet.

Maria follows him, sounding concerned when she says, “I didn’t think the wine was that bad. Are you okay?”

No. No, he isn’t. He can hear the faucet running, and he stares at the plastic cup of water that she offers him. 

“Do you want a hair tie for your hair? I think I have some crackers in the kitchen somewhere too.”

The cup is placed on the floor as she rummages through a drawer, and he accepts the hair tie when she holds it out. Alex realizes she must be running through a mental list, one probably earned from nights out drinking with her friends. He hopes they’re nice people. Hopes they’re good people who do the same for her. 

Tentatively he drinks the water. Stands up to splash water on his face, stares at her when she appears in the doorway with a new cup, a larger one, and some crackers. Her face is so soft, so sweet and he clenches the counter.

He doesn’t deserve this kind of kindness and she needs to know that. “I have a wife.”

Maria’s face falls, but she puts the glass of water on the counter, as well as the crackers. Her hands ball into fists at her sides, and for one horrifying moment, he’s terrified she’s going to cry.

“I should have known,” Surprisingly, it’s not angry, just defeated. “You were just so nice? Most guys immediately try and get in my pants. I thought you were different.” 

Her shoulders slump a little further, but then she shrugs slightly. “At least you told me now instead of later. I don’t want to be a homewrecker.”

There’s no point in telling her that his home has been wrecked. Instead, he picks up the glass of water, takes a sip to try and finish washing the taste out of his mouth. “Do you mind if I stay?”

And then, realizing how that comes off, “Just for a little while longer. Not to do anything. Just until I’m sober enough to get a taxi to my car and drive home.”

Maria chews on her bottom lip and then nods. “Only because I don’t want you driving drunk.”

That’s fine. She steps out of the way, heading back into the rest of her apartment. “If you think you’re done being sick, you can sit on the couch while you wait.”

Alex is grateful for that. Grateful for the package of crackers and the glass of water that he totes with him to the couch. He opens them gingerly, trying not to make a mess of her living room. 

Maria moves around her kitchen space, cleaning up dishes from the past day or so and Alex lets her. Doesn’t say anything, just sips at his water and stares at her decor. At the books on the shelf, not so much reading the titles as taking in each letter individually. Too slow to make them into words.

Eventually, she comes and sits down next to him, on the far end of the couch so that there’s no risk of them touching. He appreciates it for more reasons than she knows. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”

Maria shrugs, lips tightening into a frown. “It’s fine. I’ve come not to expect much from men.”

Alex hasn’t come to expect much of himself either, doesn’t bother to argue. They sit quietly for some time still, until he’s pretty sure he can drive. Or drive well enough to get home. When he stands up, she follows, walking with him to the door. 

“I know I don’t deserve your kindness, but uh,” Alex stumbles over the words, “Thank you. Again.”

There must be something about the way he says it because her face softens minutely. “Apparently someone needs to be nice to you. Get home safely. I don’t want to wake up to any news reports, okay?”

“Okay.” For her, he will.


End file.
